COMPARISON OF AZITHROMYCIN AND AMOXICILLIN IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PEDIATRIC COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA
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Keywords
Community-acquired pneumonia, azithromycin, amoxicillin, pediatric CAP, antibiotic efficacy.
Abstract
Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of illness and death in children, necessitating effective antibiotic therapies to enhance recovery and reduce the healthcare burden. Azithromycin and amoxicillin are frequently used for treating CAP; however, their relative effectiveness remains under investigation.
Objective: To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of azithromycin and amoxicillin in managing pediatric CAP.
Material and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in the DHQ Teaching Hospital KDA, Kohat between January and June 2023. A total of 158 children aged 1 month to 5 years with a CAP diagnosis were enrolled and randomly assigned to either the azithromycin or amoxicillin group. Azithromycin was prescribed at 10 mg/kg/day for three days, whereas amoxicillin was administered at 75 mg/kg/day for seven days. The primary outcome was clinical improvement and symptom resolution, analyzed using SPSS Version 26, with p ≤ 0.05 set as the threshold for significance.
Results: Among the participants, 54 children (68.4%) in the amoxicillin group and 59 children (74.7%) in the azithromycin group showed effective responses. Although the effectiveness was slightly higher with azithromycin, the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.378). Subgroup analyses indicated no significant associations between treatment outcomes and variables such as age, gender, nutritional status, vaccination history, or baseline severity.
Conclusion: Both azithromycin and amoxicillin demonstrated similar efficacy in treating pediatric CAP. Either antibiotic can be considered a viable option, with treatment choice guided by clinical factors and local resistance patterns.
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Dr.Ihsan Ullah
Medical Officer , Department of Pediatrics Unit DHQ Teaching Hospital KDA, Kohat.
Ali Abbas Khan
Senior Registrar, Department of Paediatrics, Mufti Mehmood Teaching Hospital, Dera Ismail Khan, Collage
Javid Iqbal
Médico De Familia En Función Pediatra , Department. Pediatria, Servicio Andaluz De Salud , Almeria Spain
Dr Sayed Ali
Senior Medical Officer Pediatrics Department, Swat Medical College & Swat Medical Complex Teaching Hospital Saidu Sharif Swat.
Samreen Kibria Siddiqui
Resident Medical Officer, Emergency Department , RIMS TRAUMA HOSPITAL , Karachi
Sameer Ali
MBBS. Baqai Medical University, Karachi
Hafsa Ihsan
Training Medical Officer pediatric medicine Mardan Medical Institute, Mardan Medical Complex Mardan